With implementation of a new global container weight requirement less than a month away, United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has extended its partnership with INTTRA, an ocean shipping electronic marketplace, to use the INTTRA eVGM Service as a channel to facilitate compliance with the new rule.
The INTTRA eVGM service provides the operational capabilities for digital submission, receipt, processing and auditing of SOLAS-compliant VGMs.
As of July 1, 2016, under the International Maritime Organization's Safety of Life at Sea Verified Gross Mass amendment (SOLAS VGM) as adopted, every container must have a certified weight in order to gain clearance to be loaded onto a ship.
Vijay Minocha, Global Head Customer Service and Ecommerce at UASC, said: “We have always believed in providing our customers with solutions that suit their preference. In our partnership with INTTRA on this SOLAS compliance initiative, we reiterate this commitment.”
Inna Kuznetsova, President and COO of INTTRA, said: “We are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with UASC in e-commerce to VGM compliance. Giving preference to digital submission of VGMs and providing UASC customers with an opportunity to standardise their submissions will create a foundation for excellent customer service.”
White Paper: Container Weighing Explained
In December, 2015, UASC became a founding member of the non-commercial INTTRA eVGM alliance, which has worked to help the industry address the challenges of SOLAS VGM through a standardised, digital approach.
The INTTRA eVGM Service comes in two versions – for Shipper and Carriers.
PTI previously reported that the IMO is looking into providing a 3-month delay for shippers so that they are better able to comply with the new regulation.
Third-largest shipping line CMA CGM has recently launched an online portal which aims to enable customers to compile and share data as a way to assist with the upcoming SOLAS regulation.
Fact File: INTTRA is the world's ocean shipping electronic marketplace, information and service provider. INTTRA's transaction and information products, combined with the scale of its network, empower customers to trade with multiple parties and leverage ocean industry information to improve their business. It works with over 50 leading carriers and NVOCCs, over 110,000 freight forwarders and shippers, and more than 100 software alliance partners to streamline and standardise the shipping process. Over 650,000 container orders are initiated on the INTTRA platform each week, representing 24% of global ocean container trade.
Fact File: UASC is a global shipping company based in the Middle East. Founded in 1976, UASC has 185 offices around the world. The company is the largest container shipping line in the Middle East region and adjacent markets, covering 240 ports and destinations worldwide. UASC offers containerised cargo transportation, temperature controlled (reefer) and out of gauge cargo amongst other value added services to a diversified global client-base.
